Vsauce Lecture by Michael

Introduction

• Opening Line: Michael starts with a play on his presence, comparing it to the loss of original silent films and ancient wonders.
• Deletion Examples: Mentions historical examples like Stalin removing Trotsky from photos.

Concept of Deletion

• Digital vs. Biological Deletion: Discusses the Google Ngram Viewer and how the usage of the word "delete" surpassed "erase" in 1979.
• Computer File Deletion:
  • Initial Deletion: Moving files to the trash; they remain in a temporary directory.
  • Emptying Trash: Files aren't physically removed, just marked as empty.
  • Pointers: These are like the table of contents directing to file locations; deleting pointers marks the space as available.
  • Data Recovery: Special tools can recover deleted files unless they are overwritten.

Overwriting and Data Recovery

• Overwriting Files: Necessary to ensure complete file deletion; sometimes done multiple times.
• Bad Sectors: Data in bad sectors can escape overwriting and remain accessible.
• DoD Methods: The US Department of Defense may shred and polarize drives to avoid any data recovery.

Electronic Waste and Data Breaches

• Ghana's E-dump: Developed countries dump unsalvageable electronics in Ghana, leading to potential data recovery by criminals.
• Sensitive Data Recovery: Examples of confidential information being recovered from e-waste dumps.

Paper Shredding

• Paper Shredding: Even shredded documents can be reconstructed manually or via software.
• CIA Example: Iranian students reassembled shredded CIA documents with the help of carpet weavers.
• Shred Size Regulation: DoD standards to make particle size small to prevent easy reconstruction.

Cosmic Deletion and Heat Death

• Future of Deletion:
  • Sun's Red Giant Phase: Will eventually engulf the Earth.
  • Heat Death of the Universe: Energy will be uniformly distributed, preventing any activity, leading to maximum entropy.
  • Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question": Discusses concerns about this cosmic end.

Moon Flags and Creation

• Bleached Moon Flags: American flags on the Moon are likely bleached white due to intense solar radiation.
• Creation vs. Deletion: Concludes with a reflection on how creation dominates our language and thinking far more than deletion.

Conclusion

• Positive Spin: Emphasizes the importance of creation and acknowledges the audience for their contributions.
• Final Thanks: Michael thanks the viewers for watching.